4 smart home hacks that brought calm to my noisy apartment

Sharing walls or floors with noisy neighbors can be a miserable experience. I share an apartment building with several tenants, and our downstairs neighbor is an audible pest. Loud music, pounding footsteps, arguments, and other sources of cacophony have robbed me of sleep more than once, so I took matters into my own hands via smart home technology.

Beyond dimming lights and remotely raising the temperature in your home, smart home devices are excellent tools for dealing with a noisy apartment. Whether you can afford all the solutions listed in this article or only have the funds for one or two of these products, you’ll be impressed at how effective these gadgets are at mitigating unwanted sounds.

4

Fight noise with more noise

The only thing I regret about owning a noise machine is that I wish I’d been using one for most of my life. I own two LectroFan EVO devices. While the technology isn’t special (this is a glorified speaker with built-in tones), I connected one of my EVO units to a Govee smart plug, which is tied into my Alexa ecosystem. When it’s time to go to bed, and the neighbors are raging on downstairs, I say, “Alexa, noise on,” and my Amazon Echo Dot automatically turns on the EVO.

I’ve owned my pair of EVO speakers for a few years, and I appreciate how easily I can customize them. You can choose from a range of white, pink, and brown noise tracks, and the speaker includes a headphone output for connecting an external speaker. I also appreciate that the EVO can save the last volume setting. The EVO has a built-in timer, but you can connect the product to a smart plug to create custom schedules and routines that automatically toggle the noise machine on and off.

I own two Echo Dots and positioned one at each end of my apartment. This allowed me to create an Alexa Routine that automatically fires up an ambience playlist when I say, “Alexa, neighbors.” With the right equipment and connections, you could get Alexa to fire up a pair of passive speakers or a soundbar. It may sound like overkill to operate a noise machine and a network of chained speakers, but the peace of mind is worth it.

If you don’t want to drop the cash for a noise machine or smart speaker, a simple box fan or a window AC connected to a smart plug can introduce enough white noise. However, these solutions are less generous when it comes to your electric bill.

3

Trust in your noise-canceling headphones

Much like the well-to-do busybody who leaves home every morning with a thermos of coffee and a shiny briefcase, I am armed with carry-to-my-office items at the start of each workday. My office is down the hall, and the items I’m referring to are my Sony wireless headphones and Apple AirPods. These audio devices feature active noise-canceling technology that monitors the environment in real time to seek out unwanted sounds.

When these frequencies are detected, the headphones and earbuds fire back with anti-noise to cancel out your distractions. I’ve tested numerous pairs of ANC headphones and earbuds and have learned that you don’t need to spend a ton of money on these products to score a good set of cans or buds. Still, I like nice things, and the Sony headphones and AirPods cancel noise effectively while delivering fantastic sound quality and a comfortable fit for a long day at the desk.

Sometimes, I want a break from the noise machine and smart speakers, so it’s convenient to wear something that provides a decent amount of passive sound isolation. Most headphones and earbuds include a transparency mode that lets outside noise in when it’s time to chat with your partner or coworker. My Sony cans are supported by a companion app that allows me to customize how strong ANC is when activated.

2

Invest in solid surveillance

I review smart home devices for a living, which allows me to test the best DIY surveillance tech on the market. I have a Lindo Pro Dual Video Doorbell mounted to my apartment door, along with two Baseus S1 Pro outdoor cameras on my porch. Overkill? Not a chance. I can’t tell you how much peace of mind these three home-monitoring devices have provided my girlfriend and me.

When a neighbor gets loud in the hall, we grab one of our phones, open the Lindo app, and check what’s going on in the entryway. The Lindo Pro has a downward-facing lens that keeps an eye on packages placed outside our door. While I can pull up a live view of the Lindo cam from my Amazon Echo Show 5, I prefer the faster and more intuitive Lindo iOS app.

When we hear an unusual sound outside the building or want to spy on who keeps slamming their car door at 2:00 a.m., it’s easy to pull up live views from my outdoor cams. These monitoring devices don’t actively stop or prevent noise, though it makes me feel better when I can see that the source of the screaming is the obnoxiously loud man who lives across the hall.

1

Get crafty with home furnishings

This may sound out of the ordinary, but if you have the funds, invest in a thick pair of smart blackout curtains. Smart curtains are nothing more than a motorized mount assembly that is hung above your window, like any pair of curtains. However, instead of manually pulling the shades back and forth, you can program them to open and close on a schedule of your choosing. Plus, the blackout material does a great job of keeping the sun at bay.

You can also get inventive with things like Alexa Routines to automate your curtains. Saying something like “Alexa, good morning” can slowly open your smart curtains while a nearby smart speaker reads daily reminders and news headlines. The fun doesn’t have to stop at curtains. Acoustic noise panels help deaden some of the noise from a neighbor, and some of these products include built-in RGB lighting that you can customize.

If a noise panel does not include lighting, you can add your own. A thick rug can be effective at absorbing and deadening sound. When your home decor pulls double-duty as a noise gate, the sky is the limit.

Peace of mind is far too precious

I fully embrace apartment living. Even though some of my neighbors are extremely loud, several have helped me out of jams. I wish I could walk around my home without all these DIY noise hacks in action, but simple investments, like noise-canceling headphones, let me be the kind and easy-going neighbor I want my neighbors to live near.